The Philippines economy unexpectedly accelerated its growth rate in the second quarter, which reached its levels before the financial crisis in mid-2007. Consumer spending and the state contribute to the growth of gross domestic product (GDP) of the country by 7.9 percent annually. During the first three months of this year Philippine economy also reported high annual growth of 7.8 per cent. The increase was more than expected growth of 6.3 per cent and is the largest of the second quarter of 2007. Philippine economy proved more resilient to slowing world economy in comparison with neighboring Malaysia and Thailand, where growth rates fell in the second quarter. Analysts say the country’s low inflation will allow the Philippine central bank to maintain its liberal monetary policy during this month. The base rate in the Philippines fell to a record low level since 4 percent last year, expectations are that it will not change until the end of this year. This, combined with rapid rates of economic growth is expected to give impetus to the local stock exchange and the Philippine peso. Liberal fiscal and monetary policy is also aimed at raising incomes of the population, as estimated by the World Bank one in four people in the country lives on less than 1.25 dollars a day.
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The stock market indexes in Asia and Pacific region rose, led by energy and financial companies for second consecutive day. They helped the regional MSCI Asia Pacific index to reach its highest level in three months, while the main stock measure in India – BSE Sensex 30 rose to peak for the last two and a half years. MSCI Asia Pacific, which includes almost 1000 stock companies from ten Asian countries plus Australia and New Zealand moves to increase by 0.5 percent to 121.33 points and is on track to finish today’s session at its highest level 5 May onwards. Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 1.3 percent to 9 694.01 points and was best performing among all regional indexes. The main Indian stock indicator BSE Sensex 30 rose by 0.2% to 18 103.04 points, led by shares in the banking sector, led by ICICI Bank, which yesterday announced a 17% increase in profit for the second quarter and 15 percent expected growth lending. BSE Sensex 30 rose by 3.6 percent this year and is near its highest level since February 2008. In Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose by 0.2% to 21 457.66 points, also supported primarily by financial shares because of good financial results in two of the largest European banks – HSBC and BNP Raribas announced Monday. Indices in Taiwan, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Thailand also rose, as their lead was reduced in the range of 1%.
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The stock markets in Asia and the Pacific region remained positive momentum from the previous two sessions and rose for a third day, leaving the regional MSCI Asia Pacific Index to its highest level last month. Increases in the U.S. indexes and good financial results for the quarter a number of companies in the region supported the optimistic stock investors today. Among the most profitable for banks, they had relaxed rules governing the capital adequacy of banks, which were announced by the Basel Committee. He was instructed by the leaders of the G-20 to establish new rules to regulate the financial sector because of the severe consequences of the financial crisis. MSCI Asia Pacific, which covers the stock markets in ten Asian countries, Australia and New Zealand increased by 0.4 percent to 118.49 points. After winning the last three sessions, it is a 8.2% below its highest point this year, which said on April 15. Exchange in Australia S & P / ASX 200 rose 0.3 percent to 4 497.40 points after the index of leading indicators showed that the Australian economy will continue to grow in the second half of this year. He rose for the third consecutive month in May, increasing by 0.3 percent compared to April.
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The Asian stock indexes ended the month with moderate optimism, but generally do not think was particularly beneficial for market participants. Monthly regional index MSCI Asia Pacific reported a loss of nearly 10 per cent, which is the poor performance of October 2008 onwards. Following the retreat, which recall the presentation of the index during the period after the bankruptcy of investment bank Lehman Brothers, the average price / earnings of the companies in the index fell to 14.4. This is well below the level of 23 recorded in early 2010. Today, the index decreased by 0.1 per cent minimum to 113.33 points. The exchange in Tokyo the Nikkei 225 added 0.1 percent to 9 768.70 points, but this does not help for the removal of even part of the accumulated loss for May. In the month indicator erase some 12 percent of its value. China does Shanghai Composite slumped by 9.7 per cent for the month, continuing retreat of 7.7 per cent recorded in April. Just today, the index fell 2.4 percent to 2 592.15 points. During today’s trading session progressed Taiex in Taiwan with 1.08 per cent to 7 373.98 points. With so increase the index and the leading exchange in South Korea – KRX 100, which ended three months at 445.68 points.
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The stock market indexes in Asia and the Pacific region remained negative territory for the fifth session today because of concerns about Debt Crisis in Europe and the imposition of additional restrictions in Germany on securities trading in financial markets. The regional MSCI Asia Pacific Index fell 1.8 percent to 112.69 points and is on track to finish the session at its lowest level since the beginning of September 2009, according to Bloomberg. Regional stock measure goes down rapidly in the last month, having completed all sessions of decline since the beginning of May, not two. Regional economic data today showed that Japan’s economy has surged for the fourth consecutive quarter, which, however, was weaker than expected amount of 1.2% quarterly and 4.9% of equated to annual basis. Meanwhile, Singapore has announced record growth of 38.6 percent on an annual basis aligned to the base. Nevertheless, the exchange in Tokyo the Nikkei 225 fell by 1,5% to 10 030.31 points and the Singapore Straits Times index major retreat by 0,4% to 2 763.89 points. Most among national indexes in the region, however, lower South Korean Kospi, which lost 1.8 percent to 1600 points. This gave rise to the news that South Korea has accused its northern communist neighbor that has sunk its warship in March with a torpedo.
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The exchange session in the Asia Pacific region passed under the dictation of the bears as the regional index MSCI Asia Pacific reported its biggest decline for the past three months. The reason for this were problems in the euro area and new regulations on real estate market in China that threaten to collapse in house prices. Today MSCI Asia Pacific fell 2.4 percent to 119.77 points, all markets in the region colored in red. Strongest decline in the stock was China, where CSI 300 lost 4.6 percent goals to 2 896.86 points. Today was particularly strong pressure on the industry of real estate that were on sale. In Hong Kong Hang Seng retreated by 0.96 per cent to 20 Punta 133.41, while in Taiwan Taiex lost 1.5 percent to 7 579.48 points. Exchange in South Korea did Kospi slid 2 percent to 1 684.71 points. Japan’s main Nikkei 225 index lost 3.3 percent today, which is its biggest daily decline since March last year so far.
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The wave of increased sales, which covered yesterday the securities markets in Europe and the U.S. broke today and Asian stock exchanges. Although it was expected, the decision by ratings agency Standard & Poor’s to cut the credit rating of Greece and Portugal brought sharp decreases in the indexes and the risk premium on government securities of the two countries jumped sharply. Regional stock measure MSCI Asia Pacific, which brings together public companies from 10 Asian countries plus Australia and New Zealand slid 1.6 percent to 125.20 points today. This is his fourth decline in five trading session, and meanwhile the cost of insurance to protect against the failure of Asian countries reached its highest level since February. Stock prices of raw materials and the euro rate fell because of concerns that the fiscal crisis in Greece will be released in the eurozone. President of the European Central Bank Jean-Claude Trichet will meet with German politicians and the head of the International Monetary Fund Dominique Strauss-Kahn in Berlin today to discuss a possible rescue plan for Greece. All ten industry groups included in the MSCI Asia Pacific, noted a sharp drop as financial companies ran among the losers. Among national indexes in the region most Japanese Nikkei fell 225, which slid 2.6 percent to 10 924.79 points as investors shrugged off a strong 5-percent increase in retail sales in Japan in March.
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Despite the uncertainty caused by the fiscal crisis in Greece, and fluctuations in the recovery of world economy, last month gave the stock exchanges in Asia at their strongest growth since July 2009. Almost all securities markets in the Asian and Pacific region also failed to finish the quarter and positive territory. Thus, the regional index MSCI Asia Pacific, which combines traded companies from 10 Asian countries, Australia and New Zealand, added 4 percent to its value over the past three months, said fourth quarter growth. Profits from the beginning of March amounted to 6%, which is the strongest monthly growth since July 2009 when the index increased by 8.4%. Stock optimism in Asia in March was fueled by the decision of the Bank of Japan (YATSB) to double the size of the program for the granting of emergency loans to commercial banks in the country. This month the U.S. Federal Reserve renewed its pledge to maintain low interest rates in the country in the coming months to support the fragile economic growth. Liberal monetary policy of major central banks encourage investment in shares, because the source of a large amount of money in circulation and it is also necessary for the recovery of world economy. Fiscal crisis in Greece and concerns about the future of the euro area, however, cast a shadow on financial markets worldwide earlier this year. However the last three months have brought 5 percent growth index of blue chips in Japan’s Nikkei 225, increased 9 percent for the main stock index in Indonesia and Jakarta Composite 8.1 percent increase for the Thailand index Thai. Thanks to strong inflows of external capital Thai rose 64 percent last year, and today it is 84 percent above its level at the end of March 2009.
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Most major stock indexes in Asia and the Pacific withdrew to negative territory today after strong growth, which reported on Wednesday. Most of the stocks suffered sell-offs of Japanese exporters and those companies from the real estate sector. The regional index MSCI Asia Pacific, which includes stock companies from ten Asian countries plus Australia and New Zealand, losing 0.3 percent of its value today at 124.58 points after the end of yesterday’s session, rose by 1.5% to its highest level in two months. Despite the concerns of investors that are soon to tighten monetary policy in China and the U.S. stock indexes rally in Asia continued during the past six weeks. However, according to some financial analysts has made an assessment of market shares in the region too high. The index of blue chips in Japan, the Nikkei 225 slid 1 percent to 10 744 points yesterday after having surged by 1.2 percent. Shares of Canon and Mazda dropped by more than 2 percent after the yen rose against all major currencies. This makes the price of goods of Japanese exporters higher on foreign markets. Yesterday the Japanese central bank doubled the amount of the special program for lending to commercial banks in the country to 222 billion dollars. Shortly thereafter, the World Bank increased its forecast for economic growth in China, as already expected growth of 9.5 percent this year. Wide Chinese Shanghai Composite Index fell less with 0.1% to 3 046 points and the exchange in Hong Kong Hang Seng lost 0.3% to 21 330.67 points. Today it became clear that the Chinese government will carry out “stress tests” in 12 industries to assess the impact of any lifting of the yuan exchange rate.
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The price of crude oil increased to near 81 dollars a barrel during electronic trading today in Asia, together with all the major stock indexes in the region. The price of energy input is about to celebrate third growth in the last four weeks, after having surged by 1.2 percent over the past five days. Reason for today’s rise in oil gave news that the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) will cut oil supplies by 2.3 percent within months, ending on March 20. Countries that are members of OPEC, the source of about 40% of global oil supplies. U.S. light crude for delivery in April, is rising by 60 cents, or 0.8 percent, to 80.81 dollars a barrel during electronic trading today on the New York oil exchange. By the end of the session on Thursday, oil futures fell by 66 cents to 82.21 dollars per barrel. Meanwhile, the price of Brent rose by 64 cents, or 0.8 percent, to 79.18 dollars per barrel in today’s times of electronic commerce in the international petroleum exchange in London. The April oil futures ended the session yesterday with a decrease in price by 0.9 percent to 78.54 dollars per barrel.
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